Fried Chicken Gizzards

Crispy Fried Chicken Gizzards have a deep, rich, meaty flavor, sliced into twisted bits and fried to perfection. It's cheap yet so tasty and addictive. This will undoubtedly become your new favorite party appetizer or snack!

Course Appetizer

Cuisine African

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1 35

Total Time 1 55

Servings

Calories 676kcal

Author Imma

Ingredients

Boiling

2 pounds (900g) chicken gizzards
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, cut into chunks
1-2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon (1g) thyme
1-2 cloves garlic, smashed
Salt to taste

Coating

2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
1 cup (120g) cornstarch, or sub with flour
1 teaspoon (4.5g) baking powder
1 tablespoon (7g) paprika
¾ teaspoon (2g) salt, adjust to taste
1 tablespoon (4.75g) garlic powder
1 tablespoon (7g) onion powder
½-1 teaspoon (1-2g) cayenne pepper
1-1½ tablespoons (6-9g) dried herbs (thyme, oregano, parsley, etc.)
White pepper, to taste
2 large eggs

Instructions

Boiling

Place the chicken gizzards in a pot with onion, celery, bay leaves, thyme, smashed garlic, and salt. Add enough water to cover the gizzards by an inch.
Bring the gizzards to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until tender, about 1½–2 hours or more, depending on your preference. You may have to add more water to keep gizzards covered.
Drain gizzards in a colander, and remove celery, bay leaves, and onion. Reserve the broth or freeze it for later use.

Coating

Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, herbs, and white pepper in a large bowl.
When ready to fry, dredge the gizzards in the egg mixture, then the flour mixture, shaking off any excess flour. A ziplock bag works great for this process. Set aside for about 15 minutes.
Heat oil in a deep fryer or cast-iron skillet to 375℉/190℃. The temperature will drop once you add the gizzards.
Then carefully add the gizzards to the hot oil and fry in batches until nice and crispy. It usually takes about 5 minutes.
Remove them from the oil and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to remove excess oil.

Notes

The gizzards need to be thoroughly cleaned before cooking.
If you can get your hands on the fresh ones from your local butcher, that's better. You can ask them to clean them for you (perhaps at an additional cost).
To tenderize this tough muscle, you can either stew them slowly until fork-tender as I did. Or brine them in buttermilk for 8-24 (preferably 24 hours) before deep-cooking them.
Simmer the gizzards over low heat to relax the muscle tissues when braising them. Don't let them boil, or else it'll get tough.
After an hour or two of braising, let them cool first and dry them thoroughly before you slice them into strips and bread them.
Don't skip on the cornstarch and baking powder when making the flour mixture to get the perfect crispiness.
Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.

Nutrition